Drilling bucket



Sept. 12, B E RAN 1,926,325

' I DRILLING BUCKET Filed Nov. 7. 1930 INVENTOR BEM/A MW 5 BERT/MN d. 63@mmu.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES DRILLING BUCKET BenjaminE. Bertran, Ilos Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-half to Josie A.Berti-an Application November 7,1930. Serial No. 494,040

8 Claims. (01. 25567) My present invention relates to drillingmeans, andparticularly to drilling buckets for drilling holes in the ground forconstructing building foundations, or for the drilling of wells or otherholes.

The objects of this invention are: first, to provide a drilling bucketfor the purpose mentioned whereby the contents of the bucket, after thesame is placed therein from a drilling operation, may be easily andquickly emptied even though the contents is of a sticky or adhesivenature, such as clay, which is ordinarily very diflicult to remove fromdrilling buckets of this character; second, to provide a drilling bucketof this class which may be made very small for drilling small holes, andfrom which, even though small, the dirt. or other drilled material, maybe easily removed; third, to provideadevice of this class which may beopened at thewhole of one side of the lower end of the bucket forremoving the contentsthereof, and which is yet very strong and cannot bereadily distorted when the opening is closed by the gate or doorprovided therefor; fourth, to provide a digging bucket of this class inwhich is provided an inverted cone shaped drilling head at the lower endand which is also divided so that half a cone is carried by the mainbody portion of the bucket and also by the gate so as to provide forrigidity of construction of the lower ends of both the main bucketmember and of the gate, and also to facilitate the removal of thecontents from the bucket; fifth, to provide a novel'arrangementofcutting members and clearance openings in a bucket of this class; sixth,to provide novel and simple latch means for holding the. gate in aclosed position and also novel and simple means for actuating the latch;seventh, to provide simple and novel means for raising, lowering androtating the bucket; and, eighth, to provide a drilling bucket of thisclass which is very simple and economical of construction, efficient,and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, I havedevised a new drilling bucket having certain novel features ofconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as willbe hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and tothe characters of reference thereon which form a part of thisapplication in which: t

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my drilling bucket in itspreferred form of construction showing the same open at its lowerend andthe gate shifted to one side; Fig. 2 is 'a top view thereof; Fig. 3 is afragmentary sectional elevational view thereof taken through 3-3 of Fig.'1; and, Fig. 4 is a sectional View thereof taken through 4-4 same isclosed and ready for the drilling operation. i

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the views of the drawing' Thedrilling bucket, illustrated inthe drawing, is similar in appearance to other drilling devices 'of thisclass in that it is cylindrical in shape and provided at its lowerendzwith an inverted conidistance of the length of the bucket leaving asubstantially narrow band lb at the upper end.

'The gate 2 is hinged, by hinges 3, at onelongitudinal edge to acorresponding longitudinal edge of the cut away p rtion of the bucketmember '1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The other or opposite edge 2aabuts against the opposite longitudinal edge- 1c when the gate isclosed.

The gate is held ina closed position by a latch which consists of a rod4 reciprocally mounted within and longitudinally with respect to theaxis of the bucket, and preferably close to the inner wall thereof. Thisrod is providedat its spaced from the shankofthe latch and positioned invertical alignment with the offset latch portion 4a. These latchportions are reciprocally mounted and guided in lugs 5 secured to theinner wall of the bucket member 1 adjacent the edge opposite the hinges.The gate 2 is also provided with lugs 6 which are secured to the innerside of the gate adjacent the free longitudinal edge, as shown in Figs.sand/i. These 1 lugs 6 are adapted, when the gate is closed, to bepositioned below the lugs 5, and are provided with holes or eyes 6awhich are adapted to align with the latch portions and to receive thelatter when the gate is intended to be held in a closed 69 of Fig. 1 asthe drilling bucket appears when the .70 cal cutting head with cuttingmembers in said ,80 opening and gate extend preferably the greater"lower end with an offset portion 4a and intermediate its ends withanother'latch portion 41) position. At the upper end of the bucketmember 1 is secured a bail 7 which is in the form of an invertedU-shaped member with the downwardly extending legs thereof secured tothe inside wall of the band portion 1b of the bucket member. On thisbail is pivotally mounted a latch operating lever 8 which consists of asupporting and bearing portion 8a from one end of which extends a handle8b and from the opposite end of which extends an arm 80. The end of thearm is connected to the upper end of the shank of the latch 4 by meansof a link 9'. Thus when the latch operating lever is shifted to thesolid line positionshown in Fig. l, the crank arm 80 raises the latchand disconnects the free edge of the gate from the bucket member 1. Whenthe handle 8b is shifted inwardly to the dotted line position, as shownin Fig. l, the crank arm 80 is directed downwardly and forces the latchportions below the lugs 5 and into the holes 6a of the lugs 6, when thegate is closed.

The lower or apron portion of the bucket memher 1 and the gate 2 are ofsubstantially the same shape, and each is provided at its lower end witha conical portion or bottom member 10 and 11,

respectively, each conical portion being approximately a half cone withthe vertex directed downwardly. At one of the inclined edges of each ofthe semi-cone shaped bottom or head v members 10 and 11 is secured acutting member 12 which is deflected downwardly at a slight angle. Thesecutting members, when the gate is closed, form cutting means atsubstantially diametrically opposite sides ofthe cone shaped head fromthe vertex toward the circumference.

The opposite inclined edge of each ofthe semi-cone shaped portions isoffset inwardly, as indicated by 10a and 11a. These offsetportions'formlong slots or openings opposite, respectively, the cuttingmemberson'the gate and the apron portion of cut during the drillingoperation to be directed into the bucket. I

; Below the upper portion ofthe bail '7 may be provided a cross member13 which may be suit- 7 ably reinforced with respect to the upperportion of the bail. Through the central portions of the upper portionof the bail '7 and the bar 13 is extended a stem 14, commonly knownas aKelly bar. This stem is prevented from. being shifted longitudinallywith respect to the bucket and bail by pins or bolts 15 extendingthrough the stem below the bar 13 and above the upper portion of thebail. The stem is also preferably of square cross section and extendsthrough correspondingly shaped openings in the bar '13 and the bail 7.Thus the stem or Kelly bar 14 is adapted for raising and lowering thebucket and for rotating the same during the drilling operation.

It will be here noted that the gate 2 issohinged to the bucket memberl-that even though the latch is accidentally raised and the free edge ofthe gate disconnected from the bucket member 1, the gate willnevertheless remain in a" to this particular construction, combinationand arrangementbut desire to include in the scope of my invention theconstruction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth inthe appended claims.

,head and the other half being carried by the lower end of the mainportion of the bucket, and cutting meansat one inclined edge of each ofsaid conicaldrilling head portions, the cutting means being arranged atsubstantially diametrically opposite sides of the head, the oppositeedges of said drilling head portions being spaced inwardly and upwardlyrespectively from the cutting means to facilitate the entering of thematerial cut into the shell.

2. In a drilling means of the class described, a cylindrical shellhaving a substantially semi-cylindrical cut away portion at one side ofits lower end. a semi-cylindrical gate pivoted on the shell adapted,when closed over the opening of the shell, to form a cylindricalreceptacle therewith, and adapted to be opened about its pivoted portionfor removing the contentsthereof, and inverted semi-cone shapedbottom-members on the lower ends of the shell and gate forming with eachother a substantially conical cutting head,

each of the bottom members being provided at one inclined edge withcutting means spaced inwardly and upwardly from the opposed inclinededge of the other member.

3. In a drilling means of the class described, a

bucket comprising a pair of shell members hinged to each other andadapted to be opened with respect to each other, each shell memberhaving a I id tt member i idl secured the bucket member 1, and permitthe material Separate 11g] b0 Om r g y thereto at its lower end, saidbottom members forming with each other, when the shell members areclosed with respect to each other, a head for the lower end of thebucket, and a cutting rected openings into said bucket.

'4. In a drilling bucket, a cylindrical bucket having an invertedconical drilling head integrally connected thereto at its lower end,said bucket having a substantially semi-cylindrical gate at its lowerportion for opening one side of the" lower portion of the bucket, saidgate having substantially one-half of the inverted conical drilling headintegrally secured thereto and the other [half integrally secured to thelower end of the 'main'portion of the bucket and cutting means along'onemargin of each of said portions of the inverted conical head the othermargins being spaced upwardly and inwardly from said cutting members andforming therewith substantially horizontally and. arcuately extendingpassages communicating with the interior of said bucket.

5. A drilling; bucket comprising, a pair of semicylindrical shellmembers, hinge and latch means joining said shell members, the one ofsaid shell members projecting above the other and forming a continuingcylindrical or band portion, a rigid bail joined to said band portion,semi-conical drilling heads joined to the bottomsof said shell members,cutting members along one edge of said drilling head, the remainingedges of the drillloo ing heads axially overlapping the cutting membersand spaced upwardly and inwardly therefrom forming baflle passagespermitting the forcing of earth into said shell members but hinderinggavity flow of the earth therefrom.

6. A drilling bucket comprising, a pair of semi-cylindrical shellmembers, hinge and latch means joining said shell members, the one ofsaid shell members projecting above the other and forming a continuingcylindrical or band portion, a rigid bail joined to said band portion,semi-conical drilling heads joined to the bottoms of said shell membersin angular relation therewith, each of said drilling heads having aradially and upwardly directed straight edge, a cutting member securedthereto, the remaining edges of joining said shell members, drillingheads joined at the bottoms of said shell members, cutting cylindricalshell members, hinge and latch means joining said shell members,semi-conical drilling BENJAMIN E. BERTRAN.

